And the Golden Princess sailed into Sydney this morning, complete with a (Rain)Bow in support! I truly hope that all humans in our fair land can now feel equal, and that couples of the same sex can celebrate their love in the same was as straight couples. "Carnival Australia saw marriage equality as the right thing to do and a matter of fundamental fairness."
Big love to all! P.S I'm open to invites to a big gay wedding! Preferably on a ship!
I'm always gobsmacked at the level of maturity, talent, enthusiasm and incredible energy the entertainers aboard cruise ships have! The constant smiles on their faces really does make a huge difference to your sea daze.
These young people are often away from their families for a long time, and yet their exuberance is infectious. As a mum, I can only imagine how hard it would be to be sea-perated from my cherubs for extended periods as they chase their dreams
Big love to you all Henrick Ayala, Patrick Rosinha, Luke Allen, Joel Caffery, Shauna Olley, Lauren Pooley, Brydan Pillar, Samantha Varty and Luke Cooper (behind the camera). I hope your vid goes viral!
I’m not embarrassed to admit that I chucked
a little tanty when I heard Salt grill would not be on P&O’s Pacific
Explorer.But, after chatting to the big man himself
(not God) Mr Luke Mangan, he assured me that if given the heads up, a plate of
his signature gnocchi could be whipped up for me when I’m next aboard. #SpecialHowever, after our conversation, all thoughts
of those delightful potato-pillows vanished from my gluttonous brain and were
replaced with buns.
Buns oozing with cheese.
Buns squishing succulent patties
Buns filled with fried chicken
Luke’s Burgers is a new concept for P&O
and, from the first reviews from cruisers who have sailed on the Explorer,
they’re pretty satisfied with the eatery. Now I haven’t sampled the burgers nor
have I cruised on the Pacific Explorer (yet), but I was interested to know why Luke
Mangan had decided to embark on this new venture.
“I think Australian cruisers will embrace the
casual dining experience of Luke’s,” he said.“Imagine eating a burger while sitting by the
pool, on a hot day with a cold beer. Just wonderful.”The alfresco eatery offers burgers, hotdogs
and desserts and is open from 11am to
3am - yes 3am! Perfect to fill those
post-Dome dancing hunger pangs.The concept is a progression from Luke’s
newly launched burger chain on land, Chicken Confidential, but would it work at
sea?“I was on one of the first cruises out of
Sydney on the Explorer and we served 400 people every day. We were busy all day
and night!” Playing Devil’s Advocate, I had to ask
Luke about the price. With most eateries on board included in the fare, were
cruisers going to balk at reaching for their cruise card to pay for a burger? The short answer: No.
“The burgers are restaurant quality and we
have something to suit everyone. We have a vegetarian burger, barramundi
burger, ‘the big cheese’ with beef,
double cheese, lettuce, pickle and Luke’s special sauce and a ‘Gangnam Style’
with Korean crispy fried chicken, pickled vegetables, herbs and kimchi mayo,”
he said.“We’ve also got BBQ and soy spiced fried
chicken wings, a spiced prawn Caesar salad and my new signature dessert, a
‘wagon wheel’ ice cream sandwich.”
Prices: $3 for French Fries, $4 for Wings, $4 Hot Dog, $5-6 burgers, $12 Prawns and $6 Wagon Wheel Ice Cream Sandwich. I’ve been scouring social media pages to get
a first-hand review of Luke’s – I must admit I was a little worried that
cruisers would not be happy paying. However, in all honesty, every single
review I have read has been glowing. The
burgers have been gobbled up by: hungry teenagers, mums, grandpas and everyone
in between.Yes, you would be right in guessing I’m
totally jelly right now, but I have a feeling that Luke’s will be sticking
around for some time and most probably be expanded on all ships of the
fleet.I can easily imagine myself
working my way through the entire burgerlicious menu, spend the entirety of my
next cruise wearing a muummuu by the pool, wiping burger-juices from my chin.
A true and accurate picture of future me
I still want a plate of gnocchi though…
N.B For a more fine dining experience, guests will be able to enjoy a Salt grill experience with a special ‘Taste of Salt’ dinner at the ship’s 14-seater Chef’s Table. The seven-course degustation meal will feature some of Luke’s land-based favourites such as the ‘glass’ Sydney crab omelette and signature liquorice parfait paired with matching Australian wines.
HAVE
YOU EATEN AT LUKE’S ABOARD THE PACIFIC EXPLORER? HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?
This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.